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Professor inspired to mold young minds through faith

Janet Hargrove has touched the lives of so many people in many different ways.

She touched the lives of patients working in the nursing field for 30 years. She has touched the minds of students at South Plains College for six years, and she has touched the hearts of people while working in ministry for almost 21 years.

Hargrove, instructor in vocational nursing at SPC, grew up in and graduated from high school in Denver City, Texas.

“My parents grew up there, so it was a community with a lot of history and heritage for me,” Hargrove said. “Definitely a town where everybody knows everybody.”

She says she met Darren, her husband of 23 years, on a blind date. She jokes that her husband says it was love at first sight, but she took a few more days to realize it.

“He works in the Allied Health Building as the computer lab supervisor,” Hargrove said. “It’s great to work with him every day.”

Hargrove has four children – a soon-to-be married son, Seth of Levelland, son Nathan, a music education major at SPC, and daughter Cali, a freshman at Whiteface High School.

“This is still a busy time for our kids,” Hargrove said. “We follow them all over. My family truly is my hobby.”

Hargrove started her nursing career as a Certified Nurses Assistant. She worked her way up to a Licensed Vocational Nurse and then received her Registered Nurse certification from New Mexico Junior College in 1992.

Hargrove has also work in nursing administration as director of nurses in a rural hospital and as a case manager.

“In small hospitals, you have to get accustomed to wearing many different hats,” explained Hargrove. “You tend to become a “jack of all trades” as far as nursing is concerned.”

Hargrove says she never planned to continue her education, but “God really likes to play jokes on us.” She recently graduated from Grand Canyon University with her Bachelor of Nursing degree and is currently working toward her master’s degree.

“I have been on the President’s List for my GPA since I started school in the fall of 2015,” Hargrove said. “It has been a challenge, but I have worked very hard to keep my grades up. I want my kids to see that hard work really does pay off!”

All of Hargrove’s hard work has been recognized in the South Plains area. In October 2017, she was inducted as of one of the South Plains Great 25 Nurses organization.

“It truly was an honor to be listed among so many of the great nurses within the South Plains region,” she said.

Hargrove started working at SPC in 2011. She says she always wanted to pursue a teaching career but never thought she would have the credentials to do it.

“When this teaching position came open, I applied and got the job,” she said. “I’ll never forget those first lectures…I would get queasy, break out in a sweat, my lips would tremble…I was scared to death.”

She says her favorite part about teaching is being able to connect with her students and build relationships.

“It is so much easier to teach a student when you can identify their strengths and weaknesses and push them to excel,” Hargrove said. “Education shouldn’t be intimidating.”

Hargrove says that she strives to change students’ mindset that “they are dumb, or that dreams are not reality.”

“There are a couple of things I tell my students all the time,” she said. “A, that I am ‘growing great nurses,’ because some day they may have to take care of me or my family and I want greatness taking care of me, not mediocrity! B, you will not find a better cheerleader than me.”

Hargrove credits her faith in God for allowing her to teach and practice nursing.

“God has opened a door for me to not only teach what I love, she said, “but to minister to those I come in contact with while doing so.”

Hargrove shares her faith by ministering for almost 21 years and continues to share the word of God.

“Whether we have the title of being in full-time ministry or not, I believe that we are called to share the love of Jesus,” Hargrove said. “I want people to look at me and say, ‘what’s different about Mrs. Hargrove?’ and recognize that it’s the love of Jesus shining through!”

The Bible verse Hargrove uses to describe the work God has done in her life with nursing, teaching, and ministry is Esther 4:14.

“Esther 4:14 in the Bible says, ‘for such a time as this’ referring to how and when Esther was named queen,” Hargrove explained. “It was through divine appointment. God has allowed me to work in an organization at a position that I love, this is my… ‘for such a time as this’.”